The National Football League (NFL) continues its international expansion and will also stop at Rio de Janeiro from 2026. It was agreed to play at least three regular season in the legendary Maracanã Stadium over a period of five years.
Previously, São Paulo was already hosting NFL games in 2024 and 2025. The latest duel between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers attracted 47,627 spectators to the Corinthians Arena on September 5. With over 36 million followers, Brazil is the second largest international market in the league and has had its own NFL office in São Paulo since 2015.
“Building on the success of the games in São Paulo, we couldn’t be more excited to play in one of the most famous cities in the world-Rio de Janeiro,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.
Local politics also sees great opportunities in commitment. “The expiry of the NFL to Rio is a milestone that boost tourism, create jobs, strengthen the economy and underline the role of our state as an international sports destination,” said Cláudio CastroGovernor of the state of Rio de Janeiro.
Which teams meet in the Maracanã in 2026 will be announced at a later date. A total of 56 regular NFL games have taken place outside the USA since 2007-including in Frankfurt, London, Munich, Mexico City, Toronto and São Paulo. In 2026, in addition to Rio, Melbourne was also added as a venue for the first time.
